jewelry

Hard-Wear Jewelry

Who?d have guessed that discovering the nuts and bolts of jewelry making could begin with a trip to the hardware store?

WHAT YOU NEED
• Scissors and pencil
• Cording (leather or cotton)
• Lanyard hook (sold at most craft stores)
• 20-gauge (or higher) craft wire
• Needle-nose pliers
• Small hardware items

Time needed: Under 1 Hour

Start by cutting a 14-inch length of cording (28-inch if you plan to tie spacing knots between the items you?ll be stringing on) and tie a lanyard hook to one end.
Make a few tight coils out of the craft wire. For each one, wrap a 1-foot wire around a pencil.
Slide the coil off of the pencil?s pointed end and use pliers to turn the wire ends toward the inside of the coil.
Thread the coils and hardware onto the cording. Then knot the end of the cord into a loop.
Tips: When choosing wire, remember that the higher the gauge, the thinner the wire

Hardware Locket
Turn a piece of hardware into a wearable treasure that is sure to stay close to Mom's heart.

WHAT YOU NEED
• 2 favorite pictures
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• 1 by 1 1/2 inch Brass hinge (available at hardware stores)
• 18 inches of ball chain with fastener (also available at hardware stores)
• Soft wire

Time needed: Under 1 Hour

Step 1:
Trim a snapshot or a school picture so the desired image fits on a plate of the hinge.

Step 2:
Use a hot-glue gun (adults only) to fix the photo to an inner plate.

Step 3:
To decorate, glue a piece of kid's artwork onto the face of the locket.

Step 4:
Run the wire through the top of the hinge, then wrap it securely around the chain. The locket is ready to wear.

Chime Bracelets

Made with shells or lightweight trinkets, these bracelets are fun to wear because they jingle when you move.
WHAT YOU NEED
• Felt
• Self-adhesive Velcro fastener
• Scissors
• Large-eyed needle
• Yarn
• Shells or charms
• Glue
Time needed: Under 1 Hour
Step 1:
Cut out a strip of felt that will fit around your child's wrist or ankle with a half-inch overlap. Attach the parts of a self-adhesive Velcro fastener to the shorter ends.
Step 2:
With a large-eyed needle, individually thread short lengths of yarn through the felt along the lower edge and knot the tops to keep them from slipping back through.
Step 3:
Glue shells or other charms to the strands.

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Make your own jewelry!!